Area projects able to avoid Pawlenty's ax

With the exception of trails, many central Minnesota projects in the Legislature's $1 billion bonding bill were spared despite Gov. Tim Pawlenty line-item vetoes. Those cuts amounted to more than $300 million.

Sen. Paul Koering, R-Fort Ripley, a member of the Conference Committee that reconciled differences between the House and Senate bills, said many important projects remain in the bill that was signed by Gov. Pawlenty Monday.

Among those projects that were spared according to Koering, Rep. Al Doty, DFL-Royalton, and Rep. John Ward, DFL-Brainerd, were:

$3.3 million for construction of a Minnesota Department of Transportation truck station in Little Falls.

$1 million for design and renovation of the Camp Ripley Troop Support Facility.

$6 million for an emergency response training facility at Camp Ripley.

$50,000 for trail paving at St. Mathias Park in Fort Ripley.

Koering said plans for the Cuyuna Trail were not included in the bonding bill. Ward said he believed the trail projects related to the Cuyuna Recreation Area were not cut and that the Cuyuna Trail was a separate entity.

Doty said in a statement that the governor cut $144 million from the state's colleges and universities and $2 million for the Camp Ripley Veterans State Trail.

Koering, the lead Republican senator on the Bonding Committee, was pleased with the area projects that were kept in the bill. In particular, he mentioned the MnDOT truck station near Little Falls since he expected concrete, supplies and dirt-moving services to be bought locally.

"That will be a boost for our area," he said.

Doty said in a statement that the area missed out on an opportunity when the Camp Ripley trail was line-item vetoed by the governor.

"The trail would have brought needed economic development, thousands of visitors, and new business to our area at a time when we could use the good news," Doty said.

Ward estimated the governor's line-item vetoes cost the state 7,000 jobs, some of which would have been in the Brainerd area.

"We're working our tails off to create and retain jobs," he said. "To lose jobs through that process is frustrating. Material costs are down. Bids are coming in lower and we need the jobs and the economy growth."

Central Lakes College President Larry Lundblad said Central Lakes College's classroom renovations survived Pawlenty's cuts, even if other higher education requests did not fare as well.

He said the renovation to the John Chalberg Theatre and two other classrooms had been sought for some time. He said the Chalberg Theatre was built about 40 years ago and a lot of the existing infrastructure there was original. The renovation will allow greater use of the theater space for large classes. He estimated the cost of the project at about $500,000.

"It's something that will benefit students and allow us to make our classes larger," Lundblad said of the project.

The CLC president said he wasn't sure but he thought it was possible that some boiler and other infrastructure funding also might be part of the bonding bill.

MIKE O'ROURKE may be reached at mike.orourke@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5860.